Legislation

The Congress finds and declares that, given the complexity of technical problems encountered in preserving historic properties and the lack of adequate distribution of technical information to preserve such properties, a national initiative to coordinate and promote research, distribute information, and provide training about preservation skills and technologies would be beneficial.

-102nd Congress (Public Law 102-575—Oct. 30, 1992)

The following Federal statute authorizing the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training is provided for reference purposes. The text below was updated in 2015 following the reorganization of the United States Code (P.L. 113-287), when many statutes related to the National Park Service which used to appear in Title 16 – Conservation were moved to a new title, Title 54 – National Park Service and Related Programs. Full text of the United States Code (including revision information) can be found online at http://uscode.house.gov/.

§305301. Definitions

In this chapter:
(1) Board.—The term “Board” means the Preservation Technology and Training Board established pursuant to section 305303 of this title.
(2) Center.—The term “Center” means the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training established pursuant to section 305302 of this title.

§305302. National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

(a) Establishment.—There is established within the Department of the Interior a National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. The Center shall be located at Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
(b) Purposes.—The purposes of the Center shall be to—
(1) develop and distribute preservation and conservation skills and technologies for the identification, evaluation, conservation, and interpretation of historic property;
(2) develop and facilitate training for Federal, State, and local resource preservation professionals, cultural resource managers, maintenance personnel, and others working in the preservation field;
(3) take steps to apply preservation technology benefits from ongoing research by other agencies and institutions;
(4) facilitate the transfer of preservation technology among Federal agencies, State and local governments, universities, international organizations, and the private sector; and
(5) cooperate with related international organizations including the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, and the International Council on Museums.

(c) Programs.—The purposes shall be carried out through research, professional training, technical assistance, and programs for public awareness, and through a program of grants established under section 305304 of this title.
(d) Executive Director.—The Center shall be headed by an Executive Director with demonstrated expertise in historic preservation appointed by the Secretary with advice of the Board.
(e) Assistance From Secretary.—The Secretary shall provide the Center assistance in obtaining such personnel, equipment, and facilities as may be needed by the Center to carry out its activities.

§305303. Preservation Technology and Training Board

(a) Establishment.—There is established a Preservation Technology and Training Board.
(b) Duties.—The Board shall—
(1) provide leadership, policy advice, and professional oversight to the Center;
(2) advise the Secretary on priorities and the allocation of grants among the activities of the Center; and
(3) submit an annual report to the President and Congress.

(c) Membership.—The Board shall be comprised of—
(1) the Secretary;
(2) 6 members appointed by the Secretary, who shall represent appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, State and local historic preservation commissions, and other public and international organizations; and
(3) 6 members appointed by the Secretary on the basis of outstanding professional qualifications, who represent major organizations in the fields of archeology, architecture, conservation, curation, engineering, history, historic preservation, landscape architecture, planning, or preservation education.

§305304. Preservation grants

(a) In General.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Board, shall provide preservation technology and training grants to eligible applicants with a demonstrated institutional capability and commitment to the purposes of the Center, in order to ensure an effective and efficient system of research, information distribution, and skills training in all the related historic preservation fields.
(b) Grant Requirements.—
(1) Allocation.—Grants provided under this section shall be allocated in such a fashion as to reflect the diversity of the historic preservation fields and shall be geographically distributed.
(2) Limit on amount a recipient may receive.—No grant recipient may receive more than 10 percent of the grants allocated under this section within any year.
(3) Limit on administrative costs.—The total administrative costs, direct and indirect, charged for carrying out grants under this section may not exceed 25 percent of the aggregate costs.

(d) Standards and Methods.—Grants shall be awarded in accordance with accepted professional standards and methods, including peer review of projects.

§305305. General provisions

(a) Acceptance of Grants and Transfers.—The Center may accept—
(1) grants and donations from private individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, foundations, and other entities; and
(2) transfers of funds from other Federal agencies.

(b) Contracts and Cooperative Agreements.—Subject to appropriations, the Center may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, Native Hawaiian organizations, educational institutions, and other public entities to carry out the Center’s responsibilities under this chapter.
(c) Additional Funds.—Funds appropriated for the Center shall be in addition to funds appropriated for Service programs, centers, and offices in existence on October 30, 1992.

§305306. Service preservation centers and offices

To improve the use of existing Service resources, the Secretary shall fully utilize and further develop the Service preservation (including conservation) centers and regional offices. The Secretary shall improve the coordination of the centers and offices within the Service, and shall, where appropriate, coordinate their activities with the Center and with other appropriate parties.